Style 43

So here is the latest offering from the deep, dark belly of UK hip hop. Skandal has blasted on the scene with his debut EP, and if this is what the future has in store for hip hop, then you purists are in for a shock.

Skandal is quite a grimey sounding moniker and this theme runs right through to his mic skills, with a punch to his lyrics like Tyson on ‘roids. You might assume from that description that Skandal is just another Channel U wannabe, making videos on his mobile with his man dem in the background, lickin’ shots in the air. But you’d be wrong. There is a definite intelligence to this guy’s flows, both in the substance and the wordplay, so don’t be fooled by what you think you know already. That’s what I did and then had to take it all back when I actually sat down and listened to this.

A mish-mash of musical madness provides the background, courtesy of Chemo yet again. Is there anyone out there who isn’t hitting up that dude for beats right now? But as much as it is Chemo on the boards, he’s on some next level shit with his choice of sounds this time round. The EP opens with “Dark Times” which is laced over some hefty dubstep and though you won’t find much in my music collection, it seems to work well here and combined with Skandal’s flow, it all ends up sounding pretty dope. “Venom” and “The Warning” are on the same sort of tip but with a heavy dose of grime for good measure. Again, grime is not my favourite thing but I can’t argue that it doesn’t fit nicely here, carrying on the dark vibes conjured up by “Venom”.

I would definitely like to hear this guy on some different beats coz I like his style and figure he can do good things if he gives himself more to play with. But for the time being cop this EP and see what all the fuss is about. Three tracks, three instrumentals, guaranteed to get those feet stomping and those ears bleeding.

http://www.myspace.com/skumbagskandal

Review by Fyshh

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